Is there anything more all-American than having hot dogs on the Fourth of July? Perhaps having them at The Angry Elephant, where 18 gourmet hot dogs are named after political figures (examples: Bill Clinton Dirty Chili Cheese Dog, Rudy Giuliani New York Dog, Ben Franklin Philly Cheese Steak Dog).

The bar also serves specialty drinks, vodka-infused spicy pickles and a heaping helping of political discussion. Photos, posters and paraphernalia that cross party lines decorate the walls. Debates are welcome, as long as everyone can share a drink as friends in the end.

Owner Chip Ingram talked about the bar's concept, how he came up with the menu, and election nights at The Angry Elephant.

How'd you come up with the concept for the place?

I've been in the bar business for about 20 years or so, working for other people. This is the first bar I've ever opened. I've always been into politics. I knew I wanted to open something that would be a little different. And I've never heard of anybody doing a political bar, so it just kind of hit me one day.

What came first: the recipe for the hot dog, or the name of the hot dog?

The style of the hot dog. I got the list of 18 hot dogs and then I sat down one night with a margarita and had fun with it.

What have been the most popular items?

Food would be the LBJ hot dog, which is chili, cheese, jalapeños, onions and bacon. And then the Hillary Clinton, which is the pastrami dog. And in terms of drinks, we have The Angry Elephant, which is a jalapeño-spiced margarita. And then The Happy Elephant is a gin- and lemonade-based basil drink.

As you see when you look at our menu, we do one thing and we do it very well, and that's hot dogs. I don't complicate my menu with a bunch of typical bar foods.

What's the reaction of the neighborhood been like?

It's been really solid. To start with, the clientele skews a little bit older, which is great for me. Some people think this must be a place where everyone's yelling insults at each other, but it's not. During the election last year, I had some big crowds, almost like Spurs game style.

Do you have events for all elections?

For the presidential election, I televised all the debates. It was just stuffed in here, as you might imagine. And the night of the election was just pure chaos. Some people were happy and some people weren't.

How did that work out?

It's pretty cool. I've never had a fight. I have this 1956 advertisement for Budweiser that's a cartoon elephant toasting a cartoon donkey. That's kind of our theme around here. We've had some folks get into it for sure, and we'll just kind of walk over and point at that and say, “Let's buy each other a drink and just relax.” It's actually been kind of fun.

When did you start collecting all of this stuff for the décor?

All of these giant canvases you see, I made those. I had them printed and then I built the frames. We have the wall of young politicians over there.

Yeah, I laughed when I recognized Bill Clinton and his big hair.

Yeah, Bill and Hillary. That one's awesome. And then the one on the bottom is George Sr. and George W., when he was a kid, with Barbara. Some stuff I had already, and regulars bring me stuff. I have Obama hats. I have some bumper stickers for Perot.

Now that elections and the Spurs are done, what events do you have coming up?

I have a piano bar on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Thursday night Ruben V packs the place out. And Friday night I have a rotating thing with different bands that come in. Live music has kind of become my thing. Not a lot of people do it on this side of town.

For Fourth of July, do you expect a lot of people?

I expect we'll have a pretty good crowd. What St. Patty's day is to the Irish pubs, the Fourth is to us.